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Blue Jays lose 4-3 to San Diego Padres

Facing a raw rookie with a 9.00 ERA, the Jays scattered eight hits, and did almost nothing with runners in scoring position, as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Padres.

Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista, left, and Maicer Izturis watch from the dugout in the 8th inning against the San Diego Padres in San Diego on June 1, 2013. The Jays lost 4-3. (MIKE BLAKE / REUTERS)

SAN DIEGO—The Blue Jays had, up until now, given the impression that their offense was going to carry the team while their maligned and injured starting staff righted itself.

That impression faded a bit more Saturday night in San Diego.

Facing Robbie Erlin, a raw rookie with a 0-0 record and 9.00 ERA, the Jays scattered eight hits, and did almost nothing with runners in scoring position, as they dropped a 4-3 decision to the Padres before 40,403 at Petco Park.

Coming off a 17-inning loss the night before, the Jays looked sluggish at the plate. Adam Lind hit a solo homer in the fourth, but the team otherwise managed six singles against Erlin.

Lind had a theory on why the Jays have stumbled on their west coast trip so far.

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“I tell reporters in spring training where we have to improve … since I been here we’ve never been good on the west coast and we’ve never been good in interleague, so here we are,” said Lind, who has hit safely in the last seven games he’s started, and reached 122 career homers with his solo shot Saturday, tying him with Jose Cruz for 10th on the Jays’ all time list.

Erlin worked into the seventh with two outs and got a standing ovation from the crowd as he left the game. That was just another sign of how meek the Jays offence has been since it struggled in a loss to Atlanta Wednesday.

Jose Bautista is now 1-for-19 since that Atlanta game, and hasn’t logged a hit in two games against a weak Padres team. The Jays slugger and best player had runners on in the ninth inning with his club trailing 4-3, but grounded out to third to end the game. That ground-out extended his hitless streak to 14 at-bats; and Bautista, knowing more is expected of him, stayed in the post game dressing room to look at video of his at-bats.

Lind and Colby Rasmus have been the only Jays to show up at the plate; the rest of the lineup has been flat for the most part, and failing with runners in scoring position.

The Jays have now lost the first two games of this three game series. They have fallen back to 10 games below .500, and are one game off their season low of 11 games beneath the break even point.

Mark Buehrle started for a Jays team in need of a strong start after that 17 inning marathon that didn’t end until after midnight Thursday night (into Friday morning).

Buerhle wasn’t as sharp as he’s been in his last four starts, but he did show admirable fight in working behind a sluggish team.

“I think we were in tough coming in off that (17-inning game), and I wanted to go as deep as I could in this game.” said Buehrle, who suffered his first career loss in three starts against the Padres.

“It was one of those nights I didn’t have much. So to go six innings with what I had, I’ll take it every time.”

The damage came in a three-run second inning, with Buehrle making a throwing error that brought home the third run. That stood up as the game winning run. The Jays also lost that 17-inning game when an error brought home the winning run.

“I think, knowing the guy (batter Everth Cabrera) is fast, my first reaction was to go to third,” said Buehrle, who is the four-time defending Gold Glove winner for American League pitchers.

“Then Edwin (Encarnacion) was charging and then I turned to first, and by the time I threw it, I was off balance. I made the mistake, just my reaction was to go to third, it was embarrassing out there.”

Buehrle left after six innings, none of which went smoothly. He gave up 10 hits and on another night, with his team hitting with any kind of effectiveness, he may have massaged a win out of this game.

But the Jays are now desperate for wins and desperate for any signs of pitching, hitting, and decent baseball.

They have a tough road ahead too – with Ramon Ortiz making the start in the series finale Sunday. The team then moves on to San Francisco to face Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito in a two-game series, before returning for a weekend series at home against a very good Texas Rangers club.

“We’re battling, trying as hard as we can, but maybe we not as good a team as we think we are,” Buehrle said.

“Everyone in here knows we have what it takes to win, but we’re not on the same page in all aspects of the game. It’s hard to pin point what it is, but definitely we’re not doing everything at once.”

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